In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate

 

"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"

 

 Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Homosexuality--And remember Lu't....'--

  

In the above verse the primary evil of Prophet L?t’s fellow citizens was their practice of homosexuality. Now in the verses leading up to this account, the stories of many other Prophets are related all of which begin with them calling their disbelieving nations: ‘My people, worship Allah! You have no other god than Him.’ However, the story of L?t focuses not on belief but delves straight into their conduct, illustrating the gravity of the sin that they were engaged in.

All praise is due to Our Lord who created us and took care of each and every need we have. He created the human with an innate desire and attraction towards the opposite sex and instituted for us the union of marriage to fulfil that need. Allah said that: ‘From His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.’ ^[1]  

Allah, Exalted is He, placed inside of every human being an internal compass that recognizes absolute truth and absolute falsehood. This internal compass is mentioned in the Quran as al-Fitrah as when Allah said: ‘So set your face firmly towards the Deen, as a pure natural believer, Allah’s Fitrah upon which He made mankind. There is no changing Allah’s creation.’ ^[2]
  

The Fitrah is what makes human beings inclined towards the belief that they were created by a supreme creator (tawh?d al-rububiyya), it is what allows them to accept the call of the Messengers of Allah and it is what enables them to recognize the virtue of truth, good character and nobility. It also makes them abhor misdeeds such as killing, oppressing others, treachery, and even idolatry. The Fitrah is the reason why all of mankind can agree on the virtue of truth and the malevolence of tyranny and evil. Every human being was born with this internal compass, one that the Prophet SAW attested to when he said: ‘There is no new-born, except that he was born upon al-Fitrah’. ^[3]  

It is thus with great sadness that we see before us an evil that strikes at the very heart of what makes us human, contradicts the Universal Law of Allah and goes against our Fitrah. An evil so great that an entire nation was utterly destroyed before us in a way the likes of which has never befallen a nation before it or after it, all because its people freely and openly practiced this evil, calling others to it and mocking and ridiculing those who opposed it.

 

It is so evil and wretched that those who practiced it became the object of Allah’s Wrath and Hatred, even though He is the One who created them and fashioned them in the wombs of their mothers. It is a sin so disgusting that after destroying them Allah preserved their remains as a lesson for those who fear the harsh punishment of this world and the next: ‘And We left a Sign in it for those who fear the painful punishment. ^[4]  ’ It is an act so immoral that every religion from every corner of the earth prohibits it.

 

We remember today the People of the great Prophet L?t AS, the story whom was mentioned in some detail in surat al-A’r?f. Let us reflect over his call, the response of his people and the manner in which Allah dealt with them. 

 

Allah said: ‘And (remember) Lot, when he said to his people: "Do you commit the worst sin such as none preceding you has committed in all that has been created?

 

In the above verse the primary evil of Prophet L?t’s fellow citizens was their practice of homosexuality. Now in the verses leading up to this account, the stories of many other Prophets are related all of which begin with them calling their disbelieving nations: ‘My people, worship Allah! You have no other god than Him.’ However, the story of L?t focuses not on belief but delves straight into their conduct, illustrating the gravity of the sin that they were engaged in. Secondly, as the books of Tafsir mention, the Early Muslims (Salaf) only came to know of this sin when verses came down relating the story of the people of L?t AS, illustrating just how alien it was to mankind. 

 

The story continues: ‘You practice your lusts on men instead of women; you are but a people transgressing beyond bounds’. The Prophet L?t AS was explicit in addressing them and their misconduct, indeed homosexuality was their crime. He did not mince his words or dilute his disapproval of their shameful practice; instead he condemned them in clear terms. When reflecting on this we should realize that there is no one more knowledgeable about human nature than a Prophet. There is no one more enlightened than a man who receives infallible knowledge and insight from the heavens above. Nor is anyone more compassionate towards mankind than a Prophet of God. Therefore, his condemnation in this manner points towards the inhumane and immoral nature of sodomy.

 

The story continues: ‘And the answer of his people was only that they said: "Drive them out of your town; these are indeed people who want to be pure!" Notice how they reacted aggressively towards him and threatened him with exile. In our times, a similar response is given to Muslims here in the UK when they fight for their right to wear the Niqab, build places of worship and to be dealt with fairly by the police and the intelligence services. They are told quite simply “If you don’t like it here then leave”. The people of L?t ridiculed their Prophet by calling him self-righteous and therefore ‘pure’. Is this not exactly the same way the media and gay-right campaigners address those who challenge them, calling them backward and too self-righteous for society? This, however, did not faze L?t AS. Their criticism and ridicule did not cause him to sway or dilute his message. He continued to call them to righteousness.

 

The story concludes: ‘Then We saved him and his family - except his wife, she was of those who remained behind. And We rained down on them a rain (of stones). See how came about the end of the criminals!’ ^[5]   The wife of L?t was concealing a hidden evil that became apparent at the crucial moment when Allah was about to send His punishment upon the people. As L?t took his family and followers to a place of refuge, his wife chose to instead stay with her people. We see from the story of Lut how the wife of this Prophet became so influenced and attached to a people who were so hostile towards her husband and who would indulge in such shameful behaviour. Pondering over this we learn that no one is safe from the Propaganda Machine that fills society and that fills our homes with deeply un-Islamic ideas and thoughts. We cannot stress enough the importance of parents spending time to sit with their children to relate to them the stories of the Prophets, their plight and struggle and the universal lessons that can be derived. If we fail to educate them in order to make them firm on their faith then they will soon become subject to the false ideas and evils that are prevalent in society.

  

The Modern-day Arguments: 

1) Homosexuality is part of my genetic makeup: Such an argument is similar to the classical Jabri opinion that has a fatalistic outlook, believing that man has no free will in his actions; that man is under compulsion (jabr), just as a feather is at the mercy of the wind and that man has no choice even in intentional actions. It argues that man in reality does not have any choice in life and is therefore compelled to do whatever he does. More to the point, the essence of the belief is that no one can be blamed for a committed sin as they cannot avoid doing it! Indeed the Quraysh of Makkah would justify their idol-worship by saying: ‘If Allah had willed we would not have associatedanything withHim’. [6]
  

However ridiculous such a claim may be, even if accepted for the sake of argument it still does not justify the criminal act. Many scientists have argued a genetic basis for a disposition to commit crimes such as burglary, theft and sexual abuse, yet the law rightly condemns and punishes these acts. Some scientists have claimed that it is programmed into men's genetics to be unfaithful to their partners, yet society does not deem such behaviour morally acceptable. Take for instance the case of Stephen Mobley the affluent American who, at the age of 25, walked into a pizza store and casually shot the manager in the neck after robbing the till. His lawyer pleaded that the murder was not the evil result of free will but the tragic consequence of a genetic predisposition!

2) It is the coming together of two people who love each other, why should you stand in the way of love? In response we say that: If love can justify all actions, and is the value upon which any relationship gains legitimacy, can a marriage of incest between the blood brother and sister be accepted? Some may be bold enough to say that in principle we don’t see anything wrong with it except that this will cause disease and give rise to recessive genes affecting the progeny. In response we say that: If you rule out such a sick marriage based on medical grounds, then for one homosexuality too gives rise to infectious diseases such as AIDS where according to a recent health article in the BBC, nearly half of the 6,280 people diagnosed last year (2012) were men who had sex with other men. Secondly how low have people steeped, to the extent that they have lost touch with their god-given sense of morality and instead have to sit and wait for the medical profession to clarify that such and such behaviour is harmful and thus they come to know whether it is right or wrong.

3) We just want the same rights as everyone else. In response we say: The idea of marriage is intrinsically religious; it was within a religious setting that marriage was instituted, both around the world and in this country. As a result we must question the motives of the gay-lobby, many of whom assume no religion in requesting equal rights to marriage. Through civil-partnerships they are already allowed to enjoy the benefits of marriage, so why then do they seek the title of marriage? It is only because they wish to force upon the rest of society their wretched ideas and to corrupt our children and the generations to come. The Coalition for Marriage is doing a great service to this nation by highlighting just how significantly an alteration to the definition of marriage would affect our children. In a recent report they said that as soon as the definition of marriage changes there will be huge political pressure for the new definition to be taught in schools as part of mandatory Sex Education. If a teacher refuses to teach it he or she could be liable to disciplinary action, if a parent pulled their child from the lesson it would be classed as an “unauthorised” absence and they too could be liable for a fine. My dearest brothers and sisters, we are not fear mongering here. In California when gay marriage was briefly legalised a group of 18 fifth-grade children (aged 6 and 7) were taken on a school trip to their teacher’s lesbian wedding! Some parents were furious and took the school to court but the judge ruled in favour of the school….Allahumusta’aan! 

 

Being Vocal about this Evil 

Allah has enjoined upon us as Muslims to stand up for what is right and to denounce evil. He said: ‘You are the best of peoples ever raised up amongst mankind; you enjoin in good and forbid evil, and you believe in Allah. [7]
  

Muslims are not mundane people; Muslims have been assigned a great purpose and are those whom Allah addresses when He says: ‘Thus We have made you the best of nations, that you be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger a witness over you.’  [8]   Our Prophet SAW said: ‘Whoever from amongst you sees an evil, he should change it with his hand, and whoever cannot, let him change it with his tongue, and whoever cannot, let him at least hate it in his heart….and that is the lowest of faith’. [9]

  It is upon us all to denounce this evil and to expose it for what it really is, put simply, it is the rise of the People of L?t in our times. What would have been the fate of the Prophet L?t (AS) had he not used every ounce of energy to denounce their evil and call them back to righteousness and truth?

 

Politicians and celebrities alike are falling over themselves to be seen supporting this abomination which is promoted as the greatest civil rights issue of our time. The Muslim community is yet to appreciate the powerful role lobbying plays in shaping policy and public perception. Ponder over the following: how did public opinion take a complete U-turn on this issue in less than a century? It was only in 1967 that the Sexual Offences Act was passed decriminalising homosexual acts in private between two men. Our nation was in agreement about the shameful nature of this behavior to the extent that it was defined by law as a criminal act. Public opinion changed because of the hard work and unrelenting determination of small lobby groups such as the infamous Stonewall. They invested time and money and aggressively pursued a carefully planned agenda, challenging every person in authority who opposed them at every level. They did not break the law or work outside of the system. So before you belittle this type of Da’wah just ponder over how we reached this state in the first place.

 

I pray to Allah to preserve this country from evil practices, to save us from such acts, and to keep us steadfast in enjoining good and forbidding evil.

 

 Written by Asim Khan  

 ^[1]   Q. Al-R?m, 30: 21.

 ^[2]   Q. Al-R?m, 30: 30.

 ^[3]   H. Sahih al-Bukhari

 ^[4]   Q. Al-Dh?riy?t, 51: 37.

 ^[5]   Q. Al-A’r?f, 7: 80-4.

 [6]   Q. Al-Anaam, 6: 148.

 [7]   Q. Ale Imran. 3:110

 [8]   Q. al-Baqarah, 2: 143.

 [9]   H. Muslim

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DISCLAIMER: All material found on Islam21c.com is for information purposes only. The views expressed on this site or on any linked sites do not necessarily represent those of MRDF.

Compiled, edited and adapted by Khalid Latif, www.thekhalids.org

 

• Prev
• Next